Immigration reform, sequester, Boy Scouts and more

When I was a child, my parents took me out of a class they didn’t agree with. The only thing it did for me was made me feel different and wondering why I could not be with my friends. – Bettyann Lamott, Point Loma

This week in God

If people need any evidence that this religion thing matters, I offer the mind bending events of the past week directly from the pages of the U-T. How can otherwise rational people refrain from calling this stuff crazy?

This week in god: Yoga is too religious, i.e. connected to the wrong religion, and can’t be taught in Encinitas even with no dogma included.

The right to discriminate against gay boys, and be shielded from taxes while doing it, is defended (with a straight face) by noting religious sponsorship of Scout troops. The rights of atheist kids are not even discussed. That bias will be justified later, if ever.

Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles is off to Rome to vote for a new pope when he should be rotting in a maximum-security prison for his cover-up and support of crimes against the kids of California.

Restore sanity. Support a more secular society. – Rick Stravinsky, San Diego

Problem gamblers are part of doing business

In response to “Problem gambling a big deal to casinos” (Opinion, Feb. 23): Let’s be clear. No casino could exist without the participation of problem gamblers. Does anyone really think that the casual visitor who drops a couple of hundred dollars each visit is enough cash flow to create a profit?

As a result we get a lot of blather from the manager of a local casino hoping to mollify any concerns that they are not doing enough. These are same casinos who resist any regulation or law that affects their operation. Already in other states failed lawsuits have been filed hoping to make casinos responsible.

Any establishment with a liquor license cannot be profitable without the participation of problem drinkers. In the ’60s California passed a law making bars liable for problems caused by anyone who drank in a bar before committing an incident that caused injury.

The law was such a disaster it was quickly nullified. No bar could operate with that kind of liability and the government was losing huge sums in taxes.

When society decides to legalize what is usually caused a vice it also sets the stage for unintentional consequences. – Jim Reid, Pacific Beach

Empathy was lacking

Quite a contrast between the news report on page B1 (“Suicidal shooter battled demons,” Feb. 22) to the editorial on page B6 (“Violence against police cannot stand,” Feb. 22). One paints Evan Kwik as a victim of poor mental care and the other as a man out to kill police. I’m sure the latter writer has never been in Evan’s mother’s situation.

Having been on Evan’s mother’s shoes before, I believe she did whatever she could to help her son. I once got up in the middle of the night to drive to a Santa Barbara courthouse to beg the prosecutor to lock up my daughter who was on drugs. My daughter is still alive and doing well.